Live and Love
by bookjunkie05
Summary: Luke and Lorelai meet the day that Jess and Rory are born. What will happen? Rated T for language.
1. The Beginning

**A/N: I do not own Gilmore Girls**

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_**Chapter 1: The Beginning**_

Sixteen-year-old Lorelai lay in her hospital bed, feeding her baby as her mother yelled at her.

"Honestly, Lorelai," Emily Gilmore said, "this is not the proper way to do things. You do not leave a _note_ saying that you are in labor; as your mother, it is my right to drive my unlicensed sixteen-year-old daughter to the hospital for the birth of my granddaughter! Then when it is time to name your daughter, you take into account the father's opinion and you do not name the baby after yourself! On the topic of the father, you accept his marriage proposal. When you get pregnant, you get married. A child needs a mother and a father!"

"Mom, are you done?" Lorelai asked, burping the baby. _Her daughter_, she thought, still trying to wrap her head around it.

"No, you still need to fix this name fiasco. It is not proper to name your daughter after yourself. This baby will not be named Lorelai, it will have a nice name, like Susan! Even if you already filled out its birth certificate, your father could certainly get it changed," Emily started.

"She, Mom," Lorelai said.

"What?" Emily asked, startled.

"My daughter is not an it, she is a she," Lorelai responded.

"Oh, well fine. _She_ needs a name other than Lorelai," Emily said, walking to the door to call her husband, "Richard! Come here please!"

"Mom, her name is Lorelai, but I am going to call her Rory. I'm not choosing another name," Lorelai said as her father came into the room.

"Emily, certainly our granddaughter can be named Lorelai. Why, it's the name of my mother, the finest woman I know," Richard said, unaware of Emily's eyeroll at the mention of her mother-in-law.

"Fine, but Lorelai you need to accept Christopher's marriage proposal! When you get pregnant, you get married," Emily started.

"Mom, he doesn't care about Rory. Before he asked, he said I was the only thing keeping him here. Not Rory, not his family, me. He doesn't care about her. He told me to get rid of her when I found out I was pregnant, then he told me to put her up for adoption after saying I was the only thing keeping him here," Lorelai said.

"It's a bit of a surprise Lorelai, it will take Christopher a little while to love the baby," Emily tried.

"It's not a surprise, he had nine months to get used to the idea of being a father," Lorelai argued, "She's not just a baby, she's _his_ baby. The minute I found out I was pregnant, I was ready to do anything for her. I was willing to give Chris a little while, but him saying to give Rory up for adoption because he didn't care about her after holding her and meeting her was the last straw. He is allowed to be a part of her life, but only if he actually cares and isn't pretending to get back to me. There's no chance of me ever loving him the same way ever again."

"Lorelai, you're delusional. Richard, we're leaving. Lorelai, you are getting discharged tomorrow and you better be ready to get married to Chris by then," Emily said, slamming the door to Lorelai's room behind her.

"I can't get married to Chris, sweets. I just can't. It won't be good for either of us, especially you," Lorelai said, tears falling down her face.

* * *

Eighteen-year-old Luke Danes was walking down the halls of the maternity ward, working his backwards baseball cap. His little sister, Liz, had just given birth, and already didn't care about her son.

"Could I take Jess in? Would I be allowed to? I'm only eighteen," Luke muttered, looking down at his shoes. To anyone looking, he would look like a father worrying about the wellbeing of his child, and they wouldn't be far off. _Jess is only a day old and I already love him like a son_, Luke thought.

"Lorelai, you're delusional. Richard, we're leaving. Lorelai, you are getting discharged tomorrow and you better be ready to get married to Chris by then," a shrill voice said from down the hall. He heard a door slam and looked up to see a fiery middle-aged woman walk past him followed by a quiet man he took to be her husband. Worried for the girl he heard the woman call Lorelai, he went to the door the woman had slammed. Behind the door, he heard quiet crying and a young woman talking. Luke knocked on the door. He heard a quick sniffle and the crying stopped.

"Who is it?" the young woman asked.

"Um, my name's Luke and I was just walking, and I heard what that woman said, and I wanted to check to see if you were ok," Luke rambled, "I heard you crying, and I was just worried. Sorry for bothering you. I'll just leave now."

"Wait, you said your name was Luke, right? Well Luke, thank you for checking in on me. It's been a while since anyone cared at all. Can we maybe talk for a while?" the young woman asked. She opened the door to welcome Luke in. "Come sit," she said, a baby in her arms.

_God, she looks younger than Liz. Her mother wants her to get married as a teenager? _Luke thought as he sat down in the chair next to her bed. The girl sat down in her bed after placing her baby in the baby bed.

"What's your name?" Luke asked, thinking he remembered her mother calling her Lorelai.

"I'm Lorelai, and that's Lorelai too but I'm calling her Rory for short," Lorelai said, pointing at the baby sleeping.

"Nice to meet you, Lorelai. But how is Rory short for Lorelai?" Luke asked, holding out his hand to shake hers.

Shaking Luke's hand, Lorelai said, "I don't know, it just is. I can't go around calling her Lorelai Junior, now can I? But men name sons after themselves all the time so why can't women name daughters after themselves?"

"Um, yeah I guess," Luke said, surprised by Lorelai's rambling. "What was that woman going on about though?"

"Oh, that was my mother, the great Emily Gilmore. She's just upset I'm having a baby "out of wedlock," as she said, and wants to diminish the scandal by having me marry Chris, Rory's father. I refuse since he doesn't care about her and I don't want Rory growing up in an environment with someone who doesn't care about her watching over her every day. He told me, "Give it up for adoption so that we can get married and travel the world." Can you believe that? He called my daughter "it" and then told me to give up the person I care for most in the world just because he doesn't care about her. I refused to give her up, and then he had the gall to propose to me! I am not doing that to my daughter, I refuse," Lorelai ranted.

"I'm so sorry, Lorelai. That sounds awful," Luke said.

"Yeah, well now I have to figure out a way to run away before I have to marry Chris in probably a week. I'm sixteen, too. I shouldn't be allowed to marry anyone at sixteen, parental permission or not," Lorelai said.

"Luke!" Liz shouted from down the hall, "Luke!"

"Lorelai, I'll be right back to talk some more," Luke said, "It's just my sister had a baby yesterday too and she's acting like Chris is." He ran out the door to find his sister in the hall. "Liz, what are you doing? Where's Jess?" he asked.

"Luke, you need to take him. I can't do it. Jimmy isn't going to help, and I can't do it alone and I don't want to do it I'm going to California to be with Jimmy," Liz rambled.

"Whoa, what? Liz let's sit down in your room," Luke said, leading Liz by her arm into her room and sitting her down on the bed. "Start over," he said.

"You need to take him, he can't be my problem. If you don't take him, I'm putting him up for adoption. I'm going to follow Jimmy to California, he matters to me more than Jess," Liz said.

"Elizabeth Danes, don't ever call your son a problem again!" Luke yelled, "Jess is a beautiful little boy who deserves the world and he is not a problem! If living with you makes him feel like a burden and a problem, then I'll take him! I do not want that boy to grow up feeling unloved. I won't allow it. I already love him so much, if me taking him means he feels loved, then I'll do it."

"Oh, big brother, thank you! I can go to California now!" Liz said.

"Now wait a minute, Liz. You're sixteen. You aren't going anywhere. Stay with Buddy and Maisy, maybe. But you can't just go to California," Luke said.

"I'm not staying with you and the baby, Luke. I can't do that to myself. So many sleepless nights," Liz whined.

"Liz, you should've thought about that before becoming pregnant. Pregnancy means babies and parenthood," Luke lectured, "You've had nine months to get used to the idea."

"Fine, I'll stay with Buddy and Maisy until I'm eighteen, but then I'm leaving," Liz said.

"Ok, now get some sleep, Liz. You're getting discharged tomorrow," Luke said.

Luke left the room fuming but remembered that he promised Lorelai he would come back to talk. He knocked on her door and heard her go, "Come in."

"Hey, Lorelai," he said.

"Hey, Lukey! Didn't think you would come back," Lorelai said in a much better mood.

"First, don't call me Lukey," Luke said, "Second, you seem to be in a much better mood. Anything good happen?"

"I've just figured out a way to avoid marrying Chris," Lorelai said, "and you seem to be in a much worse mood. What happened with your sister?"

"She called her son, Jess, a problem and told me to take him because she's going to run off to California to be with his father," Luke said, "She's sixteen and wants to run off to California and abandon her son."

"WHAT?" Lorelai yelled, "She called her son a problem? She's going to abandon him to chase after his father? She doesn't deserve him!"

"Yeah, well I'm going to take him and raise him right. He will feel loved and supported if it's the last thing I do," Luke said.

"Looks like we're both trying to save these kids from unfit parents," Lorelai said.

"Wait, I have an idea," Luke said.

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**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but here's the first chapter. Please review and follow.**


	2. The Idea

**A/N: I felt inspiration strike so here's the second chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It was a huge shock to see that people were reading my work and actually enjoying it.**

**I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

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_**Chapter 2: The Idea**_

"Wait, what?" Lorelai asked. Luke had just told her his idea, his crazy, impossible idea.

"The deed to my family house is in my name, and I was just going to sell it but if you need a place to stay and I need a place to raise Jess, we could live there together," Luke said.

_Is this guy insane?_ Lorelai thought. "Luke, you just met me. I just met you. We don't even know if we clash or not. We know nothing about each other. What makes you think this will work?" Lorelai asked.

"It just has to," Luke said, "I need a place to raise Jess, along with a roommate to help with the mortgage. You need a place to raise Rory that's away from your parents and Chris. Also, I can't raise Jess alone, and you shouldn't have to raise Rory alone. This way, the babies can each have someone to count on other than their parent."

"Ok, say I go along with this. What happens if my parents drag me away forcefully or if Liz takes Jess back?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm going to adopt Jess so that she can't do that, and we can take precautions so that your parents can't find you," Luke assured her.

"Ok, but how will I get to…wait where even is this house?" Lorelai said.

"It's in Stars Hollow, where I grew up. The people there are crazy but it's a really good community. I want Jess to grow up there," Luke said.

"I'm sure I can get a bus there," Lorelai muttered.

"I can pick you up tomorrow night, after your parents fall asleep," Luke offered.

"Alright that works, thanks!" Lorelai said, "Do you have a piece of paper and a pen? Never mind, I found it." She wrote her address on the paper and gave it to Luke. "I'm crazy for doing this, aren't I?" she asked.

"No crazier than I am for offering," Luke answered.

"Pick me up tomorrow night after 10, the Gilmores always go to sleep at 10. Just like they always eat at 7," Lorelai rambled.

"You're rambling, so I'm going to let you sleep," Luke said, standing up.

"Night roomie," Lorelai said, turning out the light in her room.

"We're really going to be alright, aren't we Rory?" Lorelai asked before falling asleep.

* * *

"You're going crazy, you know that Luke?" Luke asked himself as he walked down to Liz's room.

"Liz?" he asked, opening the door and walking into the dark room. Only Jess was in the room, confusing Luke. "Liz?" he asked a little louder.

Jess started crying as Luke's unanswered inquiries woke him up. Luke walked over to Jess and picked him up, causing a piece of paper to fall into Jess' crib. With Jess in one arm and the paper in the other, Luke went over to the bed. Sitting down, he read the note Liz had scrawled.

_Big brother,_

_I'm not cut out for all this. I can't deal with Buddy and Maisy's questions and seeing Jess whenever I see you. I'm going, and don't try to find me. You won't be able to. Do whatever you want with Jess, he's not my problem anymore. Keep him if you want, give him up if you want. I don't care anymore. Love you._

_Liz_

Luke's eyes filled with tears as he became angry. How could Liz look at this little boy and not care? Call him a problem? Say that she can't see him? The paper was crushed as Luke's hand became a fist. Feeling Luke's body tense, Jess began to cry. Luke was distracted from his anger by Jess' cries and cuddled the baby close to his body, rocking him slightly. Jess stopped crying and Luke realized that he had a new normal: one with a baby and new roommate. How was he going to do this?

Putting Jess to bed in his crib, Luke went down to the hospital store. Amid the baptism gowns and stuffed animals, he found books on raising children. Despite what his mom had said about parenting books not being helpful, he decided that he needed all the help he could get. And with both his parents dead, the help would come from books and Buddy and Maisy. He used a payphone to call Buddy, who answered despite it being the middle of the night.

"Hello?" Buddy answered the phone.

"Buddy, it's Luke. I need help. Liz had her kid and I'm raising him, and I don't know what I'm doing I bought a parenting book for Pete's sake," Luke said, becoming more worried the more he said.

"Lucas, calm down. Start from the beginning. What do you mean you're raising Liz's kid?" Buddy asked, putting the phone on speaker so that Maisy could hear. "Maisy, Lucas is on the phone and he needs help," he said to his wife.

"So, Liz had her kid, he's a little boy named Jess. I usually don't like kids but so far, he's a pretty good one. No jam hands yet thank God," Luke rambled.

"Lucas, focus," Maisy said, knowing how his rants could go on forever.

"Oh, hi Maisy, so Liz decides she's doesn't want Jess, that he's a problem that she's ridding herself of. She starts talking about wanting to find Jimmy in California because apparently, he is more important than her son. She tells me to take him or else he's going up for adoption. I tried to convince her to stay in Stars Hollow until she turns eighteen, and I thought she was agreeing with me, but then when I was doing something that has to do with the favor I need, she wrote a note telling me she's leaving and that he's my problem now. I can't find her, and I want to keep Jess, but I need help," Luke said.

"Wait, Liz left? She's sixteen!" Maisy exclaimed.

"Maisy, we're going to find her and take care of her. But right now, it's the middle of the night and Lucas asked for help. Lucas, what exactly do you need help with, other than finding Liz?" Buddy asked.

"I met this sixteen-year-old girl named Lorelai, she just had a baby too and her parents are trying to force her to marry the baby's father even though the father doesn't care about the baby at all. She needs a place to escape too since her parents will make her raise her daughter a certain way she doesn't agree with, and she doesn't love this guy at all. Her mother's a witch, and her father just goes along with her, and basically, she needs a place to stay so I suggested that we both stay in the house that my dad left me, but the problem is that house doesn't have baby stuff and from what I've read in these books so far babies need a lot of stuff. They aren't even full-sized humans yet and they need more stuff than I do," Luke said, out of breath.

"Lucas, why would you offer to share a house with a girl you just met?" Buddy asked.

"She needed a place to stay, Buddy. She needed a friend," Luke said like it was obvious.

"So, you need us to help you get the place set up for two babies," Maisy said.

"Yeah, but I can't get home until tomorrow since I don't know if I'm allowed to leave Jess alone," Luke said, distressed. _How am I managing to stress myself out just talking about this?_ he wondered.

"Lucas, we will take care of everything. Just take care of Jess tonight and focus on how you're going to care for him and support him," Maisy said, "Goodnight, Lucas."

"Night, Maisy, Buddy. Thank you so much," Luke said before hanging up. Thank God for them. He hadn't had nine months to get ready for a baby, but he did have Buddy and Maisy. He took a deep breath. Things were going to be ok now.

He walked back up to the room with his books, stopping by the cafeteria to grab an apple. There was no way he was going to use having a new baby as an excuse to start drinking coffee. That stuff was way too unhealthy and would kill him before Jess was in high school.

He got to the room and sat in a chair right next to Jess' crib. He started reading the books he had bought, learning what it meant when a baby cried and the safest ways to put a newborn to bed. He hadn't known any of that. The most he had done when Liz was born was change a diaper or two. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Lorelai woke up to Rory crying, just as she had five times already that night. People never told the truth when it came to parenthood. She was ready to kill all the people who had told her how joyous the first few days with a new baby were the third time she had been woken up by Rory.

"Hey baby girl," she cooed as she picked Rory up out of her crib. "What's up? Why are you crying?" She sniffed Rory but didn't smell anything. "Are you hungry?" she asked, not knowing why. It wasn't like she was going to answer.

"Here's your bottle," Lorelai said, supporting Rory with one arm while holding the bottle with her other hand. "Success!" she said as Rory began feeding. "We got this, don't we baby," Lorelai said.

"Let's go see Lukey, baby. It'd be good to know he hadn't changed his mind," she said, getting up. _Shit, I don't know where his room is_, Lorelai thought, _Oh well, I'm sure we can find it. Either way, we get a walk and maybe Rory falls asleep_.

Lorelai began walking down the hallway, holding Rory who was still feeding. She thought she was walking in the direction that Luke had gone, and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Luke's voice say, "Jess, c'mon. Just take the bottle. Please. I'm begging you."

"Luke?" Lorelai said, knocking on the door.

"Lorelai? Come on in," Luke said, opening the door, crying baby in arm. "I was just trying to feed Jess."

"Do you want help?" Lorelai asked, "Whatever I do can't make the crying worse."

"Yes, please. He's been crying forever," Luke said, putting the bottle down.

"Here, take Rory. She's much quieter so far," she said, handing Rory to Luke and taking the now screaming Jess. "Where's his mom?"

"It's a really long story," Luke said, relieved to be holding a baby that was quiet.

"Alright, well you can tell me whenever. We're going to be living together, so we're going to have a lot of time to talk," Lorelai said, "We are still living together, right?"

"Yeah, we are. I called my parents' friends last night and they're going to help fix up the house since I wasn't expecting to have two babies there in the foreseeable future. I was honestly planning to sell it and use the profit to start a diner in the place that used to be my dad's hardware store. He had an office right above it that I was planning to use as a bedroom," Luke said.

"Are you still going to start a diner? I'm sure it would be a huge hit," Lorelai said, "I've got it. He needs to be changed." She took Jess over to the bed and laid a towel under him and began to change him. "You can answer, you know. I can still hear you while changing him."

"Right, sorry. I was just wondering how you figured that out," Luke said.

"You smell them, Luke. Or you check if they're wet. Now answer," Lorelai said, grabbing a diaper from the bag next to the crib.

"Well, I sold most of the tools from my dad's hardware store, and I sold his old truck too. He left me some money, too, so with all of that I'll be able to start the diner. I've been doing work on it already with some extra money, so I'll be able to open it within the next few months most likely," Luke answered.

"That's good, it's a good source of income for Jess. I have to find something; there's probably not many jobs that will hire sixteen-year-old mothers," Lorelai worried.

"There's Mia, she was friends with my mom and Maisy. She owns an inn and will always hire a single mother who needs work. She also understands what comes with being a single mother, so she's really good about time off and paychecks, too," Luke offered.

"That sounds perfect, I'll go see her tomorrow," Lorelai said, overjoyed. This Mia sounded wonderful and the job sounded perfect. _Who knows, maybe one day I'll run that inn_, she thought.

"Lorelai?" came Emily's voice from the hallway, "Lorelai!"

"Shit, that's my cue. You have my address, right? Pick me up tonight please. After 10. Thank you so much for doing this, Luke," Lorelai said, taking Rory out of Luke's arms and walking rapidly out the door.

"Lorelai, for goodness' sake, where were you? It's time for you to get discharged. When we get home, I'm calling Francine and Straub. We need to plan that wedding!" Emily said, herding Lorelai into her room.

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**A/N: Here's the next chapter, I decided to write this because I really like AUs where Luke and Lorelai raise Jess and Rory. There are so many different ways to do it, and I just don't see enough of them. I'm off for the summer and not doing much for a few weeks, so I'll update a fair amount. Please follow and review! I love seeing that people are out there enjoying my work. It's something I never thought would happen. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Engaged to Not Be Married

**A/N: Bit of a longer one, but I just had a lot to write about Chris and Lorelai and their relationship. Thank you so much to those who reviewed.**

**I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

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_**Chapter 3: Engaged to Not Be Married**_

"Lorelai get in the front seat," Emily said, looking back at her daughter who was sitting next to her daughter.

"Mom, I just want to sit next to her in case she reacts badly to the car. She's only two days old she's never been in a car before," Lorelai said, Rory grabbing her finger. "Plus, Rory has a pretty firm grip on my finger. I don't think she'll be letting go anytime soon. Let's just go home."

"I still haven't gotten over the fact that you named that child after yourself, Lorelai. You didn't even consider Christopher's opinion! He might've wanted to name her after Francine and you took that chance away from him. You need to start considering his opinion, Lorelai. You are going to be married soon," Emily said, pulling out of the hospital parking lot.

"Mom, who carried this baby for nine months at sixteen? It wasn't Chris. I think I have the right to name my daughter whatever I want. Also, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not marrying Chris. He doesn't care about Rory and I'm not raising my daughter in an environment where she isn't loved," Lorelai said, stroking Rory's face. "She's so perfect, I'm not letting anyone ruin that."

Emily's voice softened, "I know you're just looking out for what you think is best for Rory, but she needs something stable. Christopher will come around to Rory, how could he not? She will grow up in a house with two loving parents, I promise."

"Yeah, she will," Lorelai said, thinking about the plan she and Luke had made. Hopefully Luke became at least an uncle figure in her life. She needed a man to go to when things got tough. As hard as it was to admit it, she was not going to be enough. She needed someone to help.

"Now Lorelai, when we get home, I want you to feed Rory and put her down because I'm calling Francine and Christopher over to plan your wedding. It will need to be soon, within the month. We can have Rory as a flower girl, that would be adorable. Maybe one of Francine's nephews can be the ring bearer. Do you have any friends to be bridesmaids?" Emily started, "Wait, just start thinking about it, it's a big decision. This will be the most important day of your life."

"You mean other than the day that Rory was born?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, of course," Emily said, obviously having forgotten about that.

Emily pulled the car into the driveway and parked it. Lorelai unstrapped Rory's car seat and got out of the car with her, whispering, "Welcome to your first home. It won't be for long, hopefully."

"What was that, Lorelai?" Emily said, looking back from the door.

"Just welcoming Rory home," Lorelai said. _Why the fuck did I have to say that, it was way too risky_, Lorelai cursed. She walked into the house, met by a redheaded maid she had never met before.

"Get a new maid in the last two days, Mom?" she asked.

"Yes, Lilia was much too chipper," Emily said, "She also couldn't seem to remember that baby's breath is not a flower fit for anything more than a bouquet for someone you hate."

"Maybe she had baby's breath because there was a new baby coming home," Lorelai said.

"It is still not an acceptable flower, Lorelai. Do you want that daughter of yours to grow up to be a hooker?" Emily asked.

"No, but what does that have to do with baby's breath?" Lorelai said, confused. _Mom makes connections between two completely separate things and gets upset when you don't make the same, ridiculous connection. I can't wait to get out of here even more now_, Lorelai thought.

"Baby's breath is for someone you hate. It is demeaning because it is a flower that even hookers can afford. It is a cheap flower and it shows that you don't want to spend money on that person. If that daughter of yours grows up with a love for baby's breath, there's a higher chance of her becoming a hooker because she can still buy her favorite flower on her hooker salary," Emily explained condescendingly.

"Yes, because that makes sense, Mother," Lorelai said in a sarcastic tone.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Lorelai," Emily said, "Now, go do whatever you need to do so that Rory isn't screaming when your future husband and mother-in-law arrive."

"Mom, she's dead asleep. Anything I would do would wake her up. If I wake her up, she will scream. If I don't wake her up, she might wake up eventually and scream. Either way, there is a good chance she will be screaming when the Schnickelfritzes show up," Lorelai explained.

"The what?" Emily asked.

_Of course, she is focusing on the most obsolete detail in my entire speech_, Lorelai thought. "The Haydens, Mom," she said, "Did you even listen to what I said?"

"Of course, I did, just go up to Rory's room and put her down. Eventually we will have nannies for this, but they wouldn't show up yet," Emily said.

"Mom, I don't want nannies. I dropped out of school, I want to take care of my kid!" Lorelai exclaimed, "Also, she is going to be sleeping in my room because I need to wake up five times a night to feed her and it's easier for us both to fall back asleep if I don't have to walk down the hall to get to her."

"Lorelai you will have nannies, you will go back to school, and Rory can stay in your room tonight, but she will have her own room!" Emily said, "Now go to your room and take care of your child so that she is not screaming when Francine and Christopher get here!"

Lorelai grabbed the carrier and walked upstairs angrily, accidentally waking Rory. As she began crying, Lorelai heard Emily call from behind her, "She is not allowed to scream when Francine gets here!"

Lorelai answered, "She's a baby, Mother! She screams when she screams!"

"I don't care if she is awake when she meets Francine, but she will not be screaming!" Emily yelled.

"Good God my mother is annoying!" Lorelai said as she opened the door to her room. Placing Rory's carrier on her bed, she lifted Rory out of the carrier.

"I'm sorry baby girl, your grandma is just infuriating. She doesn't want me and you to be best buds. She thinks she's gotten a do-over. She wants to raise you the way she raised me but do it right. Debutante balls, coming out parties, Yale, heiress to the Gilmore fortune. I won't do that to you, though. You're going to have a fun childhood. We're going to go to the fair, ride horses and rollercoasters, and drink so much coffee," Lorelai promised. She walked over to her drawer filled with Tootsie Rolls. Sifting through the candy, she found the bottle of whiskey she kept in her room. Her mother had (thankfully) never checked this drawer, even though she had obviously been through her room multiple times. _The candy must have caused her to faint_, Lorelai thought with a grin, taking a sip and putting it back in the drawer.

"Stopped screaming, have you? Good, that must mean you want my chosen life over your grandma's," Lorelai said to Rory, "You're going to be a clone of me, aren't you? You already have my blue Gilmore eyes. They attract boys like nobody's business. I'll teach you all of my flirting tips for once you've attracted those boys."

Rory looked at Lorelai with wide eyes. Her eyes looked like where the sky met the sea, a clear, bright blue. "This must've been what all those people meant when they said that my eyes were stunning," Lorelai joked.

Rory just looked at her.

"Wow, tough crowd," Lorelai said.

Although she wanted to anger her mother by causing Rory to cry in front of Francine, Lorelai fed Rory and changed her diaper a while after. She changed her into a pink dress and smoothed the little hair she had.

"Now, you little devil, you could be mistaken for an angel," Lorelai said to the baby lying on her bed.

Just as Lorelai picked Rory up, she heard her mother call, "Lorelai, come down! Your fiancée is here!"

"He is _not_ my fiancée," Lorelai muttered to Rory, "just so we're clear."

"Lorelai, I see Rory is awake," Emily said as Lorelai entered the living room, Rory in arm.

"You do not miss a thing, do you?" Lorelai asked, "I mean after she started screaming, she didn't want to go back down again."

"Say hello to our guests, Lorelai," Emily ordered.

"Mrs. Hayden, Chris, nice to see you," Lorelai said, "I'd shake your hand, but my hands are full. I've been taking care of her alone full time, so they're both literally and metaphorically full."

"Lorelai," Emily warned.

"My son said that you sent him away from the hospital. He said he wanted to be there, but you made him leave," Francine said.

"I suggested that he leave after he said-" Lorelai started only to be interrupted by Emily clearing her throat.

"Francine, can you help me with snacks? I had to fire my maid after an argument over the correct cleaning products to use on our antique chairs," Emily said.

"Yes, of course," Francine answered, standing up and following Emily to the kitchen.

"What _exactly_ did you tell your mother?" Lorelai asked.

"Just that I proposed but you said no and told me to leave after I held Rory," Chris said, picking at his nails.

"I should fill her in since you left out the most important part: you said you didn't care about Rory and she should be put up for adoption," Lorelai hissed, trying not to upset Rory.

"Look, I only said that because you haven't been very welcoming of me into your little bubble with Rory," Chris said.

"I invited you to the hospital. I forgave you for missing her birth for a party. I let you hold her. I invited you to change her. I invited you into the role of Rory's father, and you said, _as you were holding her_, I might add, that we should put her up for adoption. The second I found out I was pregnant, she was my number one concern. I was and am willing to do anything for her. When you found out I was pregnant, you told me, and I quote, to "get rid of it." I gave you nine months to get used to the idea of fatherhood. Then you meet her, this tiny, perfect, little person who I would give my life for and suffered through fourteen hours of labor for, and you say, "give it up for adoption." Not for the good of Rory, oh no, that would be too much selflessness for you. You told me to give our baby up for adoption, knowing full well that we can take care of her perfectly, because you want to get married and travel the world. After you called our daughter an "it" and told me to get rid of her because you want to travel the world and can't with a daughter, I decided that I wasn't going subject my daughter to your selfishness until you grew up. I grew up when the strip turned pink, Chris, when will you?" Lorelai finished. Rory, sensing her mother's agitation and anger, started crying just as Francine and Emily came into the room with cheese and crackers.

"Lorelai, what did I tell you about Rory crying?" Emily asked.

"To have her do it in front of Francine?" Lorelai answered. Seeing Emily's face, she explained, "Mom, she's a baby. Babies cry. They cry for no reason. They cry for any reason. Rory sensed that I was uncomfortable and started to cry."

"Lorelai, why did Rory sense that you were uncomfortable?" Francine asked, sitting down next to her and rubbing her back. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm not sick. I just don't understand why I have to marry someone who doesn't care about the reason we have to marry," Lorelai said, ignoring Emily clearing her throat to get her to stop.

"What do you mean, dear?" Francine said, clueless to the debate raging.

"Chris told me multiple times he didn't care about Rory and to get rid of her. He told me this when I told him I was pregnant, he told me this when he held her for the first time. He called her an "it" the first time he held her. He said, "put it up for adoption" and expected me not to get mad. I just don't want to raise Rory in a household with a father who says things like this," Lorelai said.

"Now wait just a minute," Chris started, standing up.

"Christopher Andrew Hayden, sit down. I have heard your side. You did not mention any of this. I need to hear Lorelai, if I could over…Rory did you say her name was? That's an unusual name," Francine said.

"It's short for Lorelai, her full name is Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," Lorelai said, comforting Rory until she stopped crying.

"She doesn't even have my last name?" Chris shouted, standing up once again.

"If you had listened to anything I had said when you came to visit in the hospital, you would know this. I named her since you couldn't be bothered to miss a party to be at the birth of your own daughter. I gave her my first and last name, I thought I deserved as much. Nine months pregnant and fourteen hours of labor, and obviously the only parent who cares about her. Leigh is just because it goes well with Lorelai. It fit," Lorelai said, "Now stop yelling, I just got our daughter to stop crying. If she starts crying again, I am going upstairs with Rory, and we are not coming back down."

"Can we please just start planning the wedding?" Emily asked.

"Mom, how is it possible to have that much tunnel vision? We obviously cannot get married. I am going to raise Rory, Chris is welcome to help when he gets his head out of his ass and realizes he has a daughter he needs to care about," Lorelai said, "and that is final."

"No, it isn't. You are getting married because that is the proper thing to do in this situation. A child needs a mother and a father that are together and stable," Emily said.

"Rory needs parents who are happy, Mom. Understand this, please. If Chris and I get married, I will be miserable. Rory is my world, and Chris doesn't understand this yet. I don't know if he ever will. But I don't want my daughter growing up in a family where she obviously takes a backseat in her father's life. Married or not," Lorelai started up again.

"Lorelai you are being a child! You need to think about Rory in this situation. She needs a stable home and parents who are _together_. That is what is important!" Emily yelled.

Rory started crying, causing Lorelai to stand up.

"I am thinking about Rory, Mom," Lorelai said before going upstairs.

* * *

"Welcome home, Jess. It's not much," Luke said as he walked through the door of his house, "but I bet we can fix it up."

"Lucas?" Maisy called from upstairs.

"Maisy, hi," Luke said, watching her walk down the stairs.

"Come, sit," Maisy said, sitting on the couch. "So, this is Liz's kid."

"Yeah, this is Jess," Luke said, "Do you want to hold him?"

"Of course, I do, Lucas. What type of question is that?" Maisy said, holding out her arms for Jess. Cradling him, she said, "Hello, Jess. I'm Aunt Maisy. You're so cute, I could just hold you forever."

"You might have to until I get him a crib," Luke worried, wondering how he was going to pay for everything and start his business.

"He already has a crib, what do you think I was doing upstairs?" Maisy said, "Go check. I'll watch him."

Luke walked up the stairs, checking each room until he found a room with a crib and a changing table. Looking across the hall, he saw another room with the same amenities.

"You remembered Lorelai. Thank you so much, Maisy. This is amazing," Luke said, walking back down the stairs.

"Of course, I did, I wasn't going to forget a sixteen-year-old in need of familial love and a place to stay," Maisy explained, "nor was I going to forget her newborn."

"Thank you so much, Maisy. This is all amazing," Luke said, "but where's Buddy? The restaurant isn't open yet."

"He's trying to find Liz. We're very worried about her, even if she did abandon her son," Maisy said.

"I'm worried about her too, I'm just mad at her. I love this kid like my own and he's my nephew, and she gave birth to him but doesn't give a damn about him. It's just hard for me to wrap my head around," Luke said, sitting down on the couch and working his cap in his hands.

"Lucas, why don't we get off this topic and you can tell me about Lorelai? I'm very interested in this girl who caused you to throw all logic out the window," Maisy said, curious.

"What do you want to know about her?" Luke asked, confused.

"Let's start with how you met," Maisy prompted.

"I was pacing in the hallway, upset with Liz because she didn't care about her son. I was wondering if there was any way I could adopt Jess since I loved him so much already. I heard a woman say, "Lorelai, you're delusional. Richard, we're leaving. Lorelai, you are getting discharged tomorrow and you better be ready to get married to Chris by then," then slam the door to a room. I was worried about the girl since the woman seemed harsh, so I knocked on her door and asked her if she was ok. She invited me in to talk and introduced me to her daughter Rory, then told me how she had gotten pregnant by her boyfriend who couldn't care less about the baby. Her mother was so upset about the scandal, she forgot about Lorelai's feelings and was forcing her to marry the father of the baby. Lorelai was refusing because he had to her to get rid of her baby before and after she had given birth, and she didn't want to raise her in an environment where someone she should count on for love and support wouldn't give it to her. After she said this, Liz started calling me and I offered to take Jess, then I told Lorelai that since we both needed a place to stay with our newborns we should live together in this house. She considered it, then accepted. I called you that night, then we talked that morning about our plan and then her mother came to discharge her and that was it," Luke said.

"That's the most I've ever heard you say together, Lucas," Maisy said, incredulous.

"I'm sure it's not," Luke said defensively.

"No, it is. You must really like this girl," Maisy said with a knowing smile.

"I mean she's nice and I'm sure I'll like her as a friend soon," Luke said.

"No, I mean you _like_ her as in you want to date her," Maisy said.

"No, I don't," Luke said.

"Whatever you say," Maisy said, laughing silently.

"Well, what time is it?" Luke asked.

"Just after three," Maisy said after looking at her watch

"Ok, I have seven hours to get set before I need to pick up Lorelai and Rory," Luke said.

"I'll come back at ten to watch Jess while you pick her up," Maisy offered.

"That'd be amazing, Maisy, thank you," Luke said graciously.

"Of course," Maisy said, kissing Luke on the cheek and placing Jess in his carrier before leaving.

"We have seven hours, buddy. Let's get some food and figure out what to do after," Luke said to Jess, who was asleep in his carrier.

Luke walked to Doose's Market with Jess, where Taylor Doose started hounding Luke about the hardware store and bringing a baby into a place of business.

"Luke, this is not a place to bring a baby into! This baby will drive out costumers when he starts crying, causing me to lose business!" Taylor yelled as Luke was inspecting apples.

"Taylor, everyone in here has heard a baby cry. Everyone in here should know that babies cry. And might I add, Jess is not crying! He is sound asleep, and I have a bottle on-hand in the event that he does wake up and start crying. Now leave me alone so that you don't wake up Jess and cause me to get angry!" Luke said angrily.

_Taylor is insufferable! What does he want me to do, leave Jess home alone? Jess is two days old. I'm legally not allowed to leave him alone, which Taylor should know since he won't stop bragging that he's memorized the town's laws_, Luke thought as he paid for the food.

Luke and Jess went home and they both ate, Luke an apple and Jess a bottle. Luke continued to care for Jess until he heard a knock on his door an hour later.

"Luke, are you home?" Miss Patty said, still knocking.

"Hi Patty," Luke said, opening the door. He had thankfully just put Jess down for a nap, or Patty would've been all over him.

"Hi sugar, we heard that you had a baby with you when you were shopping at Doose's today!" Babette yelled, "You haven't been in town for two days and you come back with a baby, what gives?"

"Oh, hi Babette. I did have a baby with me today, he's Liz's baby. She gave birth two days ago and I'm raising him alone, so that's why I had to bring him to Doose's," Luke explained, trying to avoid confusing the women since Miss Patty and Babette were the gossip queens of Stars Hollow. He had known marriages to end because Babette saw the husband with his sister and thought they were having an affair.

"Liz had her baby? Goodness how come no one told us?" Miss Patty asked.

"I guess no one knew except me since I took her to the hospital," Luke said.

"What's his name, sugar?" Babette yelled.

"Babette, you don't have to yell. His name is Jess," he said.

"What an adorable name," Miss Patty cooed.

"So, when do we get to meet him?" Babette shouted.

"He's sleeping right now, so probably tomorrow," Luke said, "I'll walk him around town."

"Sounds perfect," Miss Patty said, "When he's old enough, you have to enroll him in one of my dance classes. His mother was such a perfect ballerina when she was younger. It's too bad she dropped out. She had a true gift."

"She fell and broke her leg during her first recital after not being able to learn the routine for weeks," Luke said.

"She had a true gift," Miss Patty insisted, "It was just nerves."

"Whatever you say, Patty," Luke said.

"We're going to go, sugar. See you and Jess tomorrow!" Babette yelled behind her as she left.

"Goodbye, Luke," Miss Patty said.

"Bye," Luke said, relieved that they were finally leaving. He went upstairs and set his alarm clock for eight. He hoped to get at least a few hours' sleep before what would probably be a sleepless night. He passed out on the bed, already exhausted after barely two days of caring for a baby.

* * *

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, it's a little longer than the ones before it but I don't think anyone will complain. I really wanted to include both Luke and Lorelai's experiences when they first came home from the hospital, along with Lorelai confronting Chris and telling Francine the truth. The Tootsie Rolls part is from an episode when Rory is living in the pool house, Emily says she once found a drawer filled with Tootsie Rolls in Lorelai's bedroom. Richard asked her what was under the Tootsie Rolls, and that was the inspiration for that part. Please review and follow, and I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing this!**


	4. Follow-Through

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, especially the guest user who sent me a paragraph to read. You brought up everything I wanted to come across in the story, so I especially enjoyed your review.**

**I do not own Gilmore Girls**

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Follow-Through**_

Luke awoke to his alarm.

_Did I manage to sleep for four hours?_ he thought, walking to Jess' room. Jess was still asleep, but he was starting to stir. Luke picked him up, waking Jess up. He started crying as Luke changed him but stopped when he was given a bottle.

"We've got about an hour and a half before I have to leave to pick up Lorelai and Rory, so what do you want to do?" Luke asked Jess. Jess looked up at him with big eyes and gurgled.

"Alright, sounds good," Luke said.

Luke gave Jess a bath in the sink, using the no-tear soap and shampoo he had bought at Doose's Market. Jess started splashing, dowsing Luke and the kitchen in soapy water.

"Thanks, Jess," Luke said sarcastically, spitting out the water.

Jess only looked up and cooed, splashing Luke again.

Luke wrapped the freshly-cleaned baby in a towel and remembered something. His mother had made photo albums for both Luke and Liz, filled with pictures of them as babies during baths and meeting family members.

_Hell, there were even pictures of me with my great-grandmother_, Luke thought. He grabbed his camera, still holding Jess wrapped in a towel. He walked upstairs and placed Jess on the ground and snapped a picture of him.

"One day, you'll want to burn these when your girlfriend sees them," Luke said to Jess, "Until then, I'm going to keep taking pictures. It's a good tradition."

Luke changed Jess into a onesie and put him in his carrier while he changed into a dry flannel and jeans. "Thank you so much for getting me wet and making me change," Luke said, annoyed that his favorite hat had gotten wet.

The doorbell rang, causing Luke to run halfway down the stairs before running back to get Jess. Holding Jess, he opened the door to see Maisy.

"How are my two boys doing?" Maisy asked as she walked in, "Jess seems to be wet. Did you give him his first bath?"

"Yeah, and he gave me one too," Luke said, "he splashed me so many times."

"Well, what did you expect, Lucas? That he was going to sit there doing nothing?" Maisy asked, "Tell me that you at least got a picture or two."

"I got a picture of him afterwards in a towel, I decided to do a photo album post-bath," Luke explained, "When I get it developed, I'll show you."

"That's a wonderful idea, Lucas. I can't wait to see the photos," Maisy said, "When are you planning on leaving for Lorelai's?"

"What time is it?" Luke asked.

"9:45," Maisy answered.

"About fifteen minutes, I guess," Luke said, his nerves causing his stomach to act up.

Maisy saw how Luke's face was paling and asked, "How about we sit down, and you can eat something?"

"Sounds good," Luke said, grabbing a banana from the kitchen and sitting down next to Maisy.

"I'll hold Jess," Maisy said, grabbing the boy from Luke. Jess gurgled and squirmed as Maisy held him but seemed content as he didn't cry.

As Luke ate, Maisy asked him about his plans for Jess.

"Have you decided if you're sending him to public or private school yet?" she asked.

"I think public for elementary and middle, at least. It's a good school system," Luke answered after thinking for a minute.

"Yes, it is," Maisy said, "and what about baptism or are you not doing that?" She continued to cuddle Jess as the baby's eyes became droopy.

"I don't know yet, I mean I can baptize him and then not go to services. It's nice to at least get him baptized," Luke explained.

"Well, it's something to think about at least," Maisy said.

"Yeah, well I have to go now," Luke said, looking at the clock, "Thank you so much for this, Maisy. For everything."

"You're welcome, Lucas," Maisy said as Luke kissed her cheek, grabbed his keys, and left.

* * *

_That was awkward_, Lorelai thought as she went upstairs after dinner. When she had gone upstairs, Emily had chased her and tried to make her come down, but Rory started screaming louder and she gave up. When she had come down for dinner a few hours later, having packed up her and Rory's clothes and emptied her Tootsie Roll drawer, Emily had shown her the completed plans for her wedding.

"_Mom, it's my wedding and I don't like any decision made," Lorelai said, "including who the groom is going to be."_

"_Nonsense, Lorelai. The wedding is traditional and beautiful and will go perfectly with your dress," Emily said._

"_Mom, I haven't picked a dress. And I'm not exactly traditional, as shown by Rory," Lorelai said, "Which means I don't like much about these plans, including the groom."_

"_You're getting married, Lorelai. You're a Gilmore. This will be everywhere, so you need to have a beautiful, White Russian themed wedding. You're going to look beautiful in this dress, and Christopher will look so handsome in this tux," Emily said, ignoring Lorelai's comments on the groom._

"_Let's stop talking about this for now, shall we?" Richard said, sensing an argument brewing, "How are you enjoying motherhood, Lorelai?"_

Lorelai shook her head. They had talked about Rory for the rest of dinner, but she still couldn't believe her mother. Lorelai realized that the wedding was never going to happen, but Emily didn't, and so Lorelai was offended that she was being shut out of the wedding plans.

"You'd think she'd realize that as she's forcing me into a future I couldn't want less, she should let me plan the big party that pretty much seals me into that future," Lorelai grumbled as she changed Rory into her pink pajamas.

"In your pink pajamas and with your blue eyes, you look like a little princess," she said, looking at Rory.

_Fuck, it's only 9:30_, she thought, looking at the clock. It would likely be an hour before Luke got to the house. _I'm just going to check my bags and see if I forgot anything_, Lorelai decided.

Lorelai went through her bags, making sure she had her jeans and different tops. She also checked that she had a few of her more sensible dresses and most of her shoes. If she wasn't coming back, she wanted to bring everything that mattered to her. She decided to leave the photos of her and Chris, she didn't want to be reminded of that boy. She checked Rory's bag, grabbing the clothes she had changed her out of and packing even more diapers.

_Can't have too many diapers_, she thought, stuffing her backpack full of them. Rory started whimpering softly in her crib, so Lorelai picked her up and started cuddling her.

"We're going to do this together, hon," Lorelai said, "You and me against the world. Let's be best friends."

Rory looked at her with wide eyes and stopped whimpering, making Lorelai think that Rory understood her.

"I'm going to teach you everything I know, and then when you get older you'll be able to go to whatever college you chose, even Harvard if you wanted to, because I'm a genius obviously," she continued saying, "I want to give you the world, kid, and I can't do that here. I hope you end up understanding that. I need to get away from them, even if I didn't have you, I'd be leaving. You're just one of the reasons I'm getting away. We're going to rule the world, and we can't do that if we never see each other, now can we?"

Lorelai continued talking to Rory, telling her the plans she had for them, until Luke came at 10:30. Lorelai saw the lights in the driveway and grabbed her bags and Rory's car seat. She walked silently but quickly down the stairs, unwilling to wake her parents who were dead asleep already. She went out the side door that was quieter than the front door and walked to Luke's car.

"Hey," she said, strapping Rory's car seat into the car.

"Hey," Luke said.

"Thank you so much," Lorelai said, "I was home for a few hours and they've already planned my wedding and enrolled Rory in the best high school."

"You're kidding," Luke said.

"About the high school part, but I wouldn't put it past them to put it on the list of things to do tomorrow," she said, "Come on, let's go before they wake up."

"Right," he said, putting the car in drive and slowly leaving the house.

"So, I realized we know almost nothing about each other," Lorelai said, turning to look at Luke.

"I mean, we did meet yesterday," Luke said, having realized the same thing.

"What's your favorite color?" Lorelai asked.

"What?" Luke asked.

"What's your favorite color, I figured we had to start the friendship somewhere," Lorelai explained.

"Oh, it's blue," he said, "How about you?"

"I don't really have one, it'd be unfair to the other colors," Lorelai said.

"They're colors," Luke said.

"Yeah, so? They still have feelings," Lorelai explained.

"No, they don't. That's why I said, they're colors," he said.

"Favorite band?" Lorelai asked.

"I really like Steely Dan," Luke admitted, "You?"

"Ugh, Steely Dan?" she asked, disgusted, "I really like The Bangles. Rory's name was almost Susanna."

"Steely Dan is not bad, I happen to love Steely Dan. What's your full name?" Luke asked.

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, how about you?" Lorelai answered.

"Lucas William Danes," he said.

"Lucas?" Lorelai asked, a grin spreading across her face.

"You can call me Luke," he said, "Why did I tell you that?"

"Are you a cat or dog person?" Lorelai asked.

"Dog, cats make me sneeze," Luke answered.

"Same, I hate cats. I've always wanted a puppy," she said.

"I don't think I'd trust you with a puppy," Luke said.

"Fine, a hamster then. I'd name him Skippy," Lorelai said.

"You'd kill the hamster," Luke said.

"No, I wouldn't," Lorelai said, "I'd abandon him before that."

Seeing the look on Luke's face and how he looked back at Rory, she quickly said, "I was kidding. I wouldn't abandon the hamster."

"Good," Luke said, "Favorite drink and food?"

"Pizza, burgers, and fries with coffee," Lorelai answered.

"You're going to kill yourself drinking and eating like that," Luke said.

"Well, I'm guessing you like salad and water," Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I do," Luke answered.

"Your food choices are boring. I haven't ever craved healthy food until I was pregnant with Rory, and thankfully the cravings have gone away since I gave birth," Lorelai said.

"At least you ate healthy when your nutrients were going to Rory along with you," Luke conceded.

"Why is the car stopped?" Lorelai asked.

"This is it," Luke answered, "Our house."

* * *

**A/N: Bit shorter just because I felt that I was kind of forcing this chapter, but I have ideas for what will happen next, so the next chapters will be longer. I have to help paint tomorrow, so I'll probably update on Sunday. Please review and follow!**


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